THE shell-shocked mother of a high-flying banker who hung himself after being sucked into the dangerous world of gambling, debt and drugs has spoken out to say: “Don’t let this happen to your child”.

Tragic James Paget, 28, killed himself after racking up £60,000 worth of credit card bills and loan charges to fund a secret gambling habit and cocaine addiction that not even his girlfriend or family knew about.

Stunned mum Barbara, of Ainsdale, thought her intelligent son – a senior banking manager at Lloyds TSB – had long overcome a university addiction that saw him spend thousands on internet poker and powerful drugs.

But in his high-earning bank job, the former Ainsdale Hope and KGV student spiralled back into trouble after accessing loans and high-value credit cards with surprising ease.

Popular James – described as a gentle giant – was found collapsed by the stairs in his new Maghull home in July after failing to turn up for work.

Barbara, of Cornwall Way, said: “I can’t believe he is dead, it’s not something I will ever come to terms with. I just keep telling myself he is at peace now and no longer tormenting himself.

“The guilt of getting in so much debt must have really got to him, to the point where he couldn’t live with what he had done. James had such a bright future.

“The most shocking thing is how happy he seemed. He had met a girl and moved into his house.

“He had all these plans. He gave the appearance of normality, that’s why we never knew about the trouble he was in. He kept it all secret.

“Maybe he felt as if I wouldn’t have been proud of him, but I always was. I loved him, he was my son.”

James’ descent into gambling began when he moved to university in Sheffield aged 18, after being left £11,000 in his late father’s will.

He developed a drug habit, consuming up to 30 ecstasy tablets and one gram of ketamine each week. In 2003, as his gambling losses rose, James overdosed in a failed suicide attempt.

But in a bid to rebuild his life, James quit his studies and worked his way up with banks Alliance and Leicester and Lloyds TSB.

Secretly, however, the high-pressure job reignited his gambling addiction while he struggled to beat a drug habit.

After debts swelled to £60,000, James took his life.

Barbara said: “I was shocked when I received the coroner’s report and it said he was on drugs

“I just couldn’t understand. I know it is there in black and white but it makes no sense because everything seemed to be the best it had been in years. I genuinely thought his life was back on track.”

Barbara has hit out at banks who issue credit without making detailed checks and implored other families to keep a close eye on their children.

She said: “Drugs and gambling can affect anybody – James came from a home where he was loved. It was so easy for him to get sucked into all this and he couldn’t find a way back.

“There is nothing I can do now except warn other parents to keep a check on their children to prevent it happening again.

“You might think they’ve stopped but it is not worth taking the risk.”